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You may be landing on this review if you’re in the Android ecosystem and are interested in adding a fitness tracker to your lifestyle. In this Samsung Galaxy Ring review, you’ll read about our hands-on testing experience with sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, general health data, and connectivity to Android phones.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a screenless fitness tracker with the ability to track your activity, steps, calories, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep stages. We find it’s similar to the popular smart ring we tested for our Oura Ring review, but doesn’t require a monthly subscription for the app. If that’s piqued your interest, stay tuned for more details.
You Can Trust Our Expert Insights on Fitness Trackers
Our expert testers at Garage Gym Reviews have tested over two dozen of the best fitness trackers, including the most popular fitness rings. When our experts sync and operate each fitness tracker, they assess a variety of things, including its general wearability, activity tracking capabilities, heart rate accuracy, battery life, and ease of use, to name a few. Our testers use our in-depth fitness equipment testing methodology to score each category on a scale of 1 to 5, which we average to find the overall rating.
For this Samsung Galaxy Ring review, GGR Senior Staff Writer Caine Wilkes wore the smart ring for a month before giving his final verdict. Caine is not only a writer and product tester, he’s an Olympic-level athlete, coach, and former gym owner. He’s been picking up barbells since he was a teen and has practiced health tracking throughout his Olympic career.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Product Highlights
- Scratch-resistant titanium construction
- Up to 7 days of battery life
- Location tracker
- Hands-free control of your Android phone
- Three colors to choose from
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Integrates with Android devices
- Built-in location tracker
- Control your phone by pinching your fingers
- Durable titanium construction
Cons
- Only works with Android phones
- More expensive than competitors
Bottom Line
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is an excellent choice for those who want to use their ring with a compatible Android phone. The ring tracks your health metrics, allows you to control your phone by pinching your fingers, and includes a location tracker if you lose it. It's expensive, but a great choice for Samsung users.
A Quick Look at the Samsung Galaxy Ring
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a smart ring that can track a plethora of health metrics like heart rate, heart rate variability, steps, calories, skin temperature, menstrual cycles, and sleep stages. The ring also provides an energy score, which is similar to the “readiness score” on devices like Oura Rings and Whoop straps.
You’ll need an Android phone (like Samsung phones, Google Pixels, or Motorola devices) to use the device and have the ability to sync with the Samsung Health app. Unlike a smartwatch, the Galaxy Ring doesn’t have a screen, so you’ll view your health metrics and notifications in the app and not on the device itself.
Before You Buy
- Our tester found the size range on the Samsung Galaxy Ring limited for larger folks.
- The Samsung Ring doesn’t have a subscription-based app, which means you have unlimited access to your metrics on the app.
- If lifting weights is one of the main ways you stay active, a ring may not offer the best fitness tracking method due to the firm grip needed for barbell training.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Ring Worth It?
Fitness tracking technology is all the rage right now, and for good reason. Fitness trackers can provide valuable insight into your health and even nudge you to make healthier decisions—like walking more often or going to bed earlier. In fact, a 2021 study1 found that wearing a biometric ring (paired with personalized feedback and health-related education) can improve daily movement, heart rate variability, and overall body fat percentage.
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The Samsung Galaxy Ring is certainly not cheap at $400. And the reality is many smart rings offer similar health metrics. However, the one thing we appreciate about the Galaxy Ring—compared to the Oura Ring—is the fact the Samsung Galaxy app does not require a recurring subscription fee to access your data.
In that regard, you’ll be spending more up front but less overall if you use the ring long term. Our tester, Caine, scored the overall price and value of the Galaxy Ring at 4.5 out of 5 stars. “The Galaxy Ring is a great value, especially because the ring doesn’t have a subscription with it,” he says.
Great for:
- Folks who want to avoid monthly subscriptions
- Tracking sleep data and sleep stages
- General health tracking including heart rate
- Menstrual and period prediction
Not recommended for:
- Apple Watch, iPhone, and iOS users
- People with large hands
- Folks who want to track lifting sessions
- People who work with their hands
Samsung Galaxy Ring Specs
| Price | $399 |
| Sizes | 5-13 |
| Battery life | Up to 7 days |
| Water-resistant | 10ATM/IP68 water and dust-resistant |
| Metrics tracked | Steps, distance, calories, heart rate, resting heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen, skin temperature, menstrual cycles |
| Colors | Titanium Gold, Titanium Silver, Titanium Black |
| Membership | None |
| HSA/FSA Eligible | Yes |
Wearing the Samsung Galaxy Ring
GGR tester, writer, and Olympic-level athlete Caine Wilkes used the Samsung Galaxy Ring for a month to understand the gadget’s connectivity, features, and metric capabilities. Over the four-week trial, Caine’s biggest takeaway was the limited size range for larger people and the need to remove it for barbell training.
Caine is an Olympic Weightlifting athlete and trains with a barbell multiple times a week. That also means he removed the Galaxy Ring for each session. “Fitness rings aren’t ideal for tracking barbell workouts, where I’m holding onto a barbell the majority of the time. But I like the Galaxy for sleep tracking and counting steps,” he says.
“Overall, I like this ring a lot. I also appreciate the ‘energy score’ for insight on how my training may go, as well as what to work on to better rest and recover,” Caine adds.
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Comfort and Aesthetics
We know you’re not just interested in the metrics—the way a fitness tracker looks and feels is important, too. In our “general wear” category, Caine was tasked to assess the fit, comfort, and aesthetics.
The Galaxy Ring earns a 4.5 out of 5 stars in this category because Caine thought it was pleasant to wear and appreciated the sleek design mimicking a traditional ring.
That said, Caine is a large human and subsequently has large hands. The Galaxy Ring has a size range from 5 to 13, which didn’t work for Caine’s index finger. Instead, he went with the largest size to wear on his pinky finger. “It’s a little limited for larger people. I probably would have been a size 15 ring,” says Caine.
Although the brand recommends wearing on your index finger, Caine thought the Galaxy Ring was comfortable and easy to wear on his pinky. “You can totally forget you’re wearing it,” he says.
Caine noticed the Galaxy Ring is thinner than the Oura Ring and features a slim, concave design. He notes, “It looks a bit silly on my large hands, but for anyone size 13 and under it should be fine.”
It also has an IP68 rating against water and dust, which means it can be submerged for short periods of time and is resistant against dust without the need for a cover. Just keep in mind you won’t want to swim in saltwater with this ring. Caine has not experienced any issues with showering or wearing the Galaxy Ring in the pool.
RELATED: RingConn vs Oura
Health Tracking Capabilities
The Galaxy Ring can track your steps, distance, heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen, skin temperature, stress levels, and sleep. It also automatically detects and tracks walking or running workouts. Keep in mind the ring doesn’t feature a GPS or gyroscope, so your distance and running pace aren’t going to be as accurate as a device with built-in GPS.
When it comes to strength training, there is a weight machine function, but nothing that allows you to calculate sets, repetitions, or load (but this is a common limitation of smart rings and smartwatches).
Because the ring can track both cardiovascular and resistance training (although limited) Caine gave the ring a 4.5-star rating for fitness tracking capabilities. For comparison, the Oura Ring 4 can track 50 different types of workouts.
In addition to your workouts and general movement, you’ll also be able to wear your Galaxy Ring while you sleep for a sleep score report. The ring uses a built-in accelerometer to detect vibrations and movement while you sleep. Your sleep stages are calculated using the accelerometer in addition to skin temperature, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels to determine your sleep stages (REM, light, and deep sleep).
And lastly, for anyone who menstruates, the Galaxy Ring offers cycle tracking options. Caine didn’t test this feature, but notes that he had to manually turn on the temperature sensor on the ring in the Samsung Health app to get full use of the health metrics.
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He thought it was important to note he had to do this manually because he knows that measuring skin temperature at rest is an important part of menstruation and fertility tracking. Because the app has you manually turn on and off certain features, Caine rated the ease of use on the Samsung Health app 3 out of 5 stars.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Ring can last up to 7 days from a single charge, which earns this device a 5-star rating for battery life. Many other fitness trackers we tested don’t last a full week and some need to be charged every day (looking at you, Apple Watch). Plus, it only takes 80 minutes on the charger for the ring to reach 100% battery.
RELATED: Oura Ring vs Apple Watch
The ring comes with a special charging case with a USB-C port. It’s worth noting that ring sizes 12 and 13 have the longest battery life of 7 days, while the smaller sizes (5-11) are rated to last up to 6 days.
Battery life also depends on usage of features. However, the website explains that the ring’s battery life can be extended by nearly 30% if you wear it alongside a Samsung Galaxy Watch. Apparently pairing the two devices can reduce feature usage on the ring—the most draining features include sleep tracking, auto detection, and gesture controls.
Side note: Caine didn’t get to test the gesture controls where you can snap a photo on your Android phone with a simple hand gesture. That feature only works with newer phones and Caine has an older model Galaxy phone.
Samsung Galaxy Ring vs Oura Ring Gen 3
Oura Ring
Product Highlights
- Measures your heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and skin temperature
- Over time, it can track your sleep patterns and suggest improvements
- Battery lasts 7 days and can fully charge in 20 minutes
- Can help you find your balance between activity and recovery
- Water resistant up to 100 m
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Long battery life
- Fast charging
- No membership required
Cons
- May develop scratches with daily wear
- Limited statistics without membership
- Comparably expensive
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a fitness tracker that is more subtle and sleek than a traditional wrist tracker, the Oura Ring is a great alternative option.
The Oura Ring is the most similar smart ring to the Samsung Galaxy Ring that we’ve tested. We haven’t yet tested the Oura Ring Gen 4, so in this comparison we’ll focus on the Gen 3 stats.
The Galaxy Ring measures a fairly similar set of metrics to the Oura Ring including steps, stress, and sleep. Both wearable devices track skin temperature, blood oxygen, heart rate, and HRV.
Both devices have an algorithm that uses sleep metrics and activity from the previous day to offer a “score” on your recovery. Samsung calls this an energy score and Oura names it as the readiness score. Caine has used both rings and appreciates this energy/readiness number, but notes you should take it with a grain of salt and trust how you feel.
One major difference Caine noticed between the two devices is the Oura Ring can track more activities and types of workouts. The Samsung Galaxy can track a limited amount of resistance training, but you can’t differentiate between an Olympic Weightlifting training session and machine circuit workout. (However, if you train mainly with a barbell, chances are you’ll take the ring off to work out anyway.)
While the Oura Ring is one of our top picks for the best fitness tracker rings, the app that pairs with the Oura Ring will cost about $70 per year ($5.99 per month). The Oura Ring starts around $300 and goes up to about $550 depending on the style and iteration. While the Oura Ring may not cost quite as much up front, you’ll have recurring fees over the lifetime of use on the Oura.
| Samsung Galaxy Ring | Oura Ring Gen 3 | |
| Price | $399 | Ranges from $299 to $549 |
| Size | 5-13 | 6-13 |
| Battery life | Up to 7 days | Up to 7 days |
| Water resistant | 10ATM; IP68 (submersible up to 6 feet) | Submersible to 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Metrics tracked | Steps, distance, calories, heart rate, resting heart rate, HRV, blood oxygen, skin temperature, menstrual cycles | Body temperature, calories burned, sleep, blood oxygen, resting heart rate, HRV, breathing rate, respiratory rate, steps and daily movement |
| Workout profiles | Auto-detection for walking and running; strength machines | 50+ |
| Colors | Titanium Gold, Titanium Silver, Titanium Black | Silver, Black, Stealth, Gold, Rose Gold, Brushed Titanium |
| Membership | None | $5.99 per month with first month free |
Customer Experience
Whether you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Ring on the brand’s website or through a third-party retailer like Amazon or Best Buy, you’ll have the option to receive a free sizing kit in the mail so you know exactly which ring size to choose. You can also start a live chat with a customer service representative on the Samsung website if you have questions.
When you purchase your Galaxy Ring on the Samsung website, you’ll be prompted to answer questions if you have a fitness tracker device to trade in (rings or smartwatches, not including iOS devices) which can earn you up to $100 credit. You can also finance your purchase in four installments or over the course of 24 months.
The Galaxy comes standard with a 12-month parts and labor warranty, with the option to purchase Samsung Care+ coverage. If you don’t love it, you’ll have a 15-day window to make returns.
Caine notes that making a return (and contacting customer service in general) is a multi-step process because you’ll need to select the product you’re inquiring about before the website allows you to send an email. You’ll also be prompted to select a certain type of problem before you can send a general inquiry. For this reason, Caine docked a point and scored customer service at 4 out of 5 stars.
However, after quite a bit of navigation on the Samsung website, we found the customer service line, which is 1-800-726-7864 and reachable 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. EST, 7 days a week.
Customer Reviews
On Amazon, the Samsung Galaxy Ring has a 4-out-of-5-star rating based on 270 customer reviews. There are quite a few disgruntled customers who weren’t aware the Galaxy Ring was only compatible with Android phones and multiple customer reviews saying the ring is either uncomfortable or doesn’t offer enough sizes (especially for larger hands).
On the flip side, there are many reviews of happy customers who appreciate the look, feel, and the accuracy of sleep, heart rate, and distance. Many of these 5-star reviewers also note the ring sizing kit was helpful and most folks sized up from their traditional size.
Final Verdict of Our Samsung Galaxy Ring Review
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that won’t buzz, beep, or drag you into more screen time, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is an ideal option. It’s $400 up front, but you won’t have to pay for a subscription to fully utilize the app and health metrics. Just keep in mind it’s not the most robust tracker we’ve used. The Galaxy Ring is an excellent choice if you:
- Are already in the Android ecosystem with a Samsung or Google phone.
- Can go without a built-in GPS or gyroscope for running, walking, and cycling workouts.
- Want a durable and water-resistant fitness tracker.
- Prefer a slimmer ring fit with a concave design to reduce bulk.
Full Rating
Samsung Galaxy Ring
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is an excellent choice for those who want to use their ring with a compatible Android phone. The ring tracks your health metrics, allows you to control your phone by pinching your fingers, and includes a location tracker if you lose it. It's expensive, but a great choice for Samsung users.
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 399
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.33
Samsung Galaxy Ring Review: FAQs
What is the point of the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a fitness tracker without all the notifications, buzzing, and additional screen time. It tracks basic movement, steps, stress, and sleep. Plus you can track heart rate, skin temperature, and other metrics related to general health and wellbeing. It’s also easy to wear and potentially more comfortable to wear while sleeping than a wrist-based fitness tracker.
Do you need a subscription for Samsung ring?
No, the Samsung Galaxy Ring does not require a subscription to access all your health stats in the Samsung Health App. You will need to be an Android user, as the Galaxy Ring does not pair with iOS devices.
Does the Samsung Galaxy Ring have GPS?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring does not have a built-in GPS or gyroscope. The ring will track steps and distance, but it’s based on the accelerometer to detect motion.
References
- Browne, J. D., Boland, D. M., Baum, J. T., Ikemiya, K., Harris, Q., Phillips, M., Neufeld, E. V., Gomez, D., Goldman, P., & Dolezal, B. A. (2021). Lifestyle Modification Using a Wearable Biometric Ring and Guided Feedback Improve Sleep and Exercise Behaviors: A 12-Month Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 777874. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.777874
Further reading
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